Doctor Jack?

[Herlock Sholmes]

A catchy, but not very accurate title.

Over the years the question of the ripper’s medical/anatomical knowledge and skill has been regularly debated. Not being someone with medical training or knowledge I’ve been undecided as to the level required but it does appear unlikely that the killer could have removed organs without knowledge/skill?

So who do we know, of the named suspects, who would have had such medical/anatomical knowledge and skill. For the time being I’ll ignore those with animal butchering skills but we can add them later as a secondary category. All suggestions welcome (including questioning those mentioned)

George Chapman
William Gull
Francis Thompson
Henry Gawen Sutton
Oswald Puckridge

[Geddy2112]

For me, again not a qualified doctor (but know where most 'bits' are) I think there is a huge difference between being a doctor, a surgeon, having medical knowledge and having surgical skills. These terms seems to get intertwined in the case but as I've said are rather different.

For me to whip out a kidney in near darkness under time pressure without doing much damaging to other areas our killer must have had some training or anatomical knowledge, even some surgical skills unless of course he just stuck his hands in there and took what he could. Removing a kidney through the front was not common until much later in the 1900s much later.

I think we have to make a collective statement on what each category means before we move on... i.e. what qualifies as 'doctor' 'surgical skill' 'anatomical knowledge' etc

[GBinOz]

Hi Herlock,

Grainger was reputed to have had medical qualifications, although I haven't been able to locate any formal declaration of this possibility, and he wasn't pursuing that vocation so his practised dissection skills may not qualify him for the role. Grainger was identified as the ripper by someone, suspected to be Lawende, but it should be added (and this will make your day) that Grainer bore a remarkable resemblance to Druitt.

I think that the highest possibility is someone familiar, and highly active, in the dissecting or autopsy room. Francis Thompson comes to mind, or someone like him. I think this this was the category of suspect to whom Prosector was pointing.

Cheers, George